Monthly Archives: April 2014

While canvasing for the local elections over the weekend I noticed some large potholes towards the bottom of Ashwood Road, particularly outside Wych Elm House.

I reported these to Surrey County Council this afternoon along with other potholes on Heathside Park Road and have asked whether it will be possible for both roads to be added to the list of streets to be resurfaced. The Government has recently announced a new £168m fund for highway maintenance; the county council managed to repair 18,500 potholes across Surrey in the first two months of the year, compared to 14,000 a year earlier.

If you come across any potholes which you think should be looked at you can report them to Surrey County Council online here.

Last night I spoke at a meeting of Woking Borough Council’s Planning Committee on behalf of residents in Little Riding, Oriental Road and Maybury Hill who asked me to object to the application for increased opening hours by the Asda supermarket.

Asda had applied to extend its trading hours from 8am to 7am in the morning, and from 8pm to 11pm in the evening. However, residents are concerned that the location has suffered from traffic, noise, light and air pollution in recent years and believe that the scale of development at the retail park is overtaking the capacity of the local infrastructure to cope with the demand. Some 24 parking spaces have recently been lost owing to the construction of the new Costa Coffee unit.

The Lion Retail Park is an unusual site in that it is in a predominantly residential area with houses in very close proximity to the shops. While residents are not against additional trading and longer opening hours as a matter of principle, they understandably want to make sure that the expansion and development of the retail park is being done in a way that is consistent with its location in what is otherwise a quiet and peaceful part of Woking.

Following my representations, councillors on the Planning Committee voted to restrict opening hours from 8am to 10pm. During the meeting I also obtained reassurances that the council will not allow 24-opening hours at the retail park. I was pleased to be able to secure another victory for my residents and will continue to exercise vigilance to ensure that the quality of life for everyone living near the retail park is protected.